Pushed to the Limit
by lalalei
Summary: A Trials and Tribulations fic. Contains spoilers for 3-5! Edgeworth, ever the unbeliever, is thrust into the mystic realm of the Psyche-Lock...and learns its dark, sometimes terrifying nature by way of experience.
1. The Original Story

_This started out as a story idea where a character would be healed after a Psyche-Lock. That's all well and good until I realized I stink at writing stories like that. Ahahaha. _

So instead, I give you the actual events of that fateful Psyche-Lock. You may write your own ending :) 

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Miles Edgeworth reached into his pocket and pulled out Phoenix's (or was it Maya's?) Magatama. The trinket looked like a simple glass bead shaped like the number 9. But Edgeworth had learned it was something far more amazing than a fashion accessory.

To be fair, he still had doubts about the whole thing. He was a man of science and fact, and mystically peering into people's hearts and souls to see their secrets simply was not plausible.

Edgeworth was almost positive it was a hallucination of some kind; Iris, after all, couldn't see what he could when he used it. Larry Butz, he suspected, would be unaware as well.

But still. He'd have to give it the benefit of doubt for now, and go along with the strange role he'd been assigned.

_All I have to do now is ascertain Larry's secrets. I'm positive I have enough evidence,_ Edgeworth thought to himself.

"_Take that_!"

There was a sudden flash of light; everything that Edgeworth could see inverted as if it had changed to a film negative.

Just as quickly, it all faded to darkness. Miles Edgeworth and Larry Butz were the only ones visible in the seemingly endless abyss.

Chains then wrapped around Larry, covering him on both sides. After a moment, three red padlocks appeared on the chains; the foremost one rest on his heart.

In short…it was a Psyche-Lock (or a Psycholock, as Edgeworth mistakenly called it).

The man across from him, though Edgeworth was sure he had a teenage mindset, seemed quite nervous. Larry gazed at the glittering jewel in Edgeworth's hand with uncertainty.

"…You want me to take this? Okay…"

"No. Forget about this," Edgeworth said sternly, quickly pocketing the talisman. "What I need you to remember is what you saw last night."

"W-what I saw?"

"Yes. Tell me the truth," Edgeworth sighed. He was already beginning to be annoyed.

"…Whoa. You're really upset, aren't you, Edgey?" Larry asked.

"No, but I will be," Edgeworth stated, with a glare cold enough to freeze the sun.

"A-alright! I'll talk!"

Edgeworth blinked. "Huh?" _That was a bit too easy…_

Larry stood up straight, clearly trying to compose his thoughts. After a second or two of scratching his head, he spoke.

"Yeah, anyway! It was awesome! Never seen anything like it!"

"…Would you care to elaborate," Edgeworth said, trying to control his mounting frustration.

Being woken up in the middle of the night and chartering a jet to get here, with no rest since then, wasn't helping his mood at all.

Larry got the hint.

"At around 10 at night it started thundering. I'd been sleeping…I'm not sure for how long."

He paused, clearly aiming for dramatic effect.

"Suddenly…ZING! The world in front of me went white! Just like I'd been slapped by my old girlfriend Naomi!"

Edgeworth sighed. _That's Larry for you. Dragging his girlfriends into anything._

"…And then?" he prompted.

"And then…It was on fire! The bridge was on fire!"

Edgeworth snapped to attention.

"Dusky Bridge caught on fire!? Are you saying you saw it with your own eyes?" he cried, eyes blazing.

Larry shrunk back a bit, but then lurched forward, angry, as if trying to intimidate his friend.

"H-hey! Why are you giving me the evil eye? I'm telling the truth!"

_Hmmm…The very fact that the Psycholocks remain means he's still hiding something_, Edgeworth thought, frowning.

"By the way, Larry…where were you when you saw that happen?" Edgeworth asked, blinking once to rouse himself. Now was _not_ a good time to fall asleep.

Larry gave him a blank stare.

"Wh-wh-where, you say?"

Just as suddenly, he lashed out; he seemed to be defensive and confused at the same time.

"Wh-wh-what do you mean?"

Edgeworth sighed._ Is it Larry's mission in life to drive me to distraction?_

"What do you mean 'What do you mean?' …Just answer the question!"

Larry gulped. Clearly, trying to intimidate Edgeworth wasn't working. He sighed, giving his friend the thumbs up and brushing away beads of sweat.

"I-I was in my own room…by the Main Hall! Where else would I be!?"

Edgeworth tapped a finger against his shoulder impatiently. "As usual, you're as transparent as an empty jelly jar."

"The problem, I suspect, lies there…"

"Th-th-there? Where's there!?" Larry cried, wiping at recently formed sweat.

"I'd say the general vicinity of your brain," Edgeworth snapped. He'd had enough of him trying to dodge questions.

"…That was mean, Edgey," Larry said, his eyes watering.

"Larry, think about this for a moment. It's impossible for you to have seen lightning strike Dusky Bridge from your room!"

With these words, Edgeworth removed an important-looking piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Larry.

"Look at this, Larry! It's the weather data for the night of the crime!"

Larry glanced at it, then turned to Edgeworth.

"…So? What does that prove?"

Edgeworth blinked, checking it over again.

"It…proves that…er…I thought …"

Larry grinned. "Hey, forget about that. Try drinking your cup of hot water. If you don't hurry it'll get cold."

To tell the truth, Edgeworth had forgotten about the cup of water proffered to him. It would be rude to ignore it further. "Oh, sorry…"

He drank.

_Ugh…It's cold, alright. The water… and my evidence…_

As he thought these words, Edgeworth felt a sharp, sudden headache. It lingered at the base of his temples, then faded, leaving him with an odd feeling of weakness.

He rubbed his head, groaning a little. _What came over me?_

Larry didn't seem to notice. "Well? Have you calmed down yet?"

"…Um, yes…I'm going to think it over again…" Edgeworth said, a twinge of uncertainty in his voice. He was still puzzled over the sudden headache.

Larry smirked. "What're you talking about, Edgey? T-There's nothing to think over! I was in my room doing 'she loves me, she loves me not' with some flowers!"

Edgeworth thought, then shook his head. "No. If you really did see Dusky Bridge catch fire…it couldn't have been from your room."

"C-can you prove that?" Larry asked nervously.

"Yes. I can. Take that!"

Edgeworth took out a folded piece of paper, unfolded it, and showed it to him. Larry blinked.

"W-What…"

"This is a map of the area. Take a look around the vicinity of Hazakura Temple."

Larry reached through the chains and took the map, bringing it closer to his face. He seemed puzzled.

"…What am I looking for?"

_Could he really be this dense? Or is he just toying with me? Knowing Larry, I wouldn't put it past him…_

"I think that should be fairly obvious, Larry. The Main Hall," Edgeworth said, snatching back the map, "is surrounded by trees. It's impossible to see the bridge from there."

"…What!? Why didn't you say that before!?"

At these words, the rightmost lock on the chains shattered like fine glass.

_Good. We're finally getting somewhere_, Edgeworth thought.

"Well? How about it?" he asked.

"How about what?"

"…Do you feel like talking now?"

"About what?" Larry asked, trying to look innocent.

_…I guess it won't be that easy after all._

"Alright. If you weren't in your room at the temple, then where were you," Edgeworth pressed.

Larry thought for a moment, then grinned.

"I don't know, Edgey. You tell me."

Edgeworth flinched. _I have the strangest feeling I've walked into a trap…_

"…Very well, then. Let's test my theory."

Edgeworth took out the map, thought for a moment, then pointed to an area on it.

"You were at the bridge that night! That's how you saw it catch fire!"

Larry blinked, with an unusually serious expression forming on his face.

"…Are you feeling okay, Edgey?"

"W-what do you—" Edgeworth began. Larry cut him off.

"First of all, why would I stay out there? It's freezing! Even I know it's better to stay inside on a cold night. And second of all, if I was at the bridge when it happened, I would've called for help that much faster!"

As Larry picked apart his argument piece by piece, Edgeworth felt unnerved. It was like knowing something bad was about to happen, that it was your fault, and that you could do nothing to prevent it.

"I…" Edgeworth began.

A spasm of pain around the left side of his chest cut him off. Edgeworth groaned, gripping the area instinctively. Through his clenched hand, he could feel his heart beating far faster than it was a few seconds ago.

Larry smiled triumphantly.

"Well, Edgey? Admit that you're wrong!"

"…I was wrong, Larry," Edgeworth bit out, still clutching his chest. The pain slowly faded, and with it some of his strength. He rubbed his eyes to clear away any vestiges of tiredness; it wasn't wise to show weakness.

"But," he continued, "I'm not going to give up until I figure out what happened last night."

Larry sighed. "I figured you'd say that."

"So," he said, a smirk returning to his face, "Where _was_ I last night? Do you know?"

Edgeworth turned back to the map, thinking.

_Hmmm. He utterly destroyed my theory of him being at the bridge…Come to think of it, that was an inane idea to begin with_, he thought with chagrin.

_So…he wasn't at his room, and he couldn't have been at the Inner Temple. Otherwise he'd be trapped on the other side of the bridge…_

Edgeworth gave Larry a thin smile and pointed at an area on the map.

"Naturally, last night, you were at the same place we are right now. Heavenly Hall!"

Larry looked offended.

"A-Are you crazy? Why would I hang around this old shack? It's freezing cold, there's no electricity, and it could fall apart at any minute!"

Edgeworth's smile became a full-blown smirk.

"Larry, how do you know there's no electricity? After all, it's only 2:00 PM."

"…Uh oh."

"In other words, you have just produced evidence to prove my theory…My theory that you've been to Heavenly Hall at least once in your life after sunset!"

At Edgeworth's words, the leftmost lock shuddered, then fell to pieces. Only the lock across Larry's heart remained.

Larry gave him a wry smile.

"I have to admit I'm impressed, Edgey! You're in a totally different league from Nick."

_I doubt you'd say that were Wright actually here…_Edgeworth thought with a sigh.

"…That's nice. Now tell me. What were you doing at this cold little shack last night?"

Larry grinned, flashing him the thumbs up. "That's what you might call a 'fair de core.'

Edgeworth groaned at his mangling of the French language. "No, Larry. You mean 'affaire de coeur.' At least I think you do…"

Edgeworth thought about the phrase further; it meant 'affair of the heart'.

"Could it be you were…waiting for someone?"

Larry blinked; sweat trickled down his face.

"Oh, nooo…"

His cries fell on deaf ears; Edgeworth took the opportunity to rivet him to the spot with a glare.

"Y-You really are one scary guy, you know," Larry cried.

"Larry. I believe that last night, you were waiting for someone to meet you. This person, in fact!"

Edgeworth took out a profile photo and handed it to him; Larry's eyes went wide.

It was the victim of the case, Elise Deauxnim.

"W-why would I—"

"Isn't it obvious? She was your art instructor! You were waiting for a lesson! Isn't that right, Larry!?"

"Edgey, Edgey, Edgey," Larry said in a mocking tone. "Just because she's my teacher doesn't mean I'd want to hang out with her all the time! Besides, I'm getting better at art. For all you know, I could've wandered here to sketch by myself…"

He grinned.

"Am I right?"

Edgeworth blinked.

"I…can't deny the possibility…"

At that moment, Edgeworth felt his throat dry and constrict; he coughed to clear it. A warm liquid flew up from his throat and dribbled out his mouth; he quickly wiped it away with a sleeve.

There was an odd hum in the air, as if the abyss surrounding them was alive.

He turned to look at Larry. The man seemed out of focus; Edgeworth blinked several times before his vision righted itself. He straightened and spoke.

"…Regardless, Larry, I know you were waiting for someone!"

"But do you know who it was," Larry asked, pausing to scratch at his head.

"Well…it wasn't Ms. Deauxnim," Edgeworth admitted.

He turned to the collection of profiles and thought.

"Perhaps…it was…"

Larry held his breath.

"…_Phoenix Wright_," Edgeworth cried, pointing at the picture dramatically.

Larry sighed.

"You know what? You should save your finger pointing for the courtroom."

Edgeworth was so shocked at this statement that all he could muster up was a "Tsk…!"

"It's no wonder they call you a workaholic," Larry continued. "You should relax and be like me!"

At his words, Edgeworth felt as if he'd been jabbed with a tranquilizer. There was a brief stab of pain, and then…nothing. His eyes started to close, and for a moment he felt like doing exactly what Larry had said.

To just relax…let the darkness claim him…

"…Edgey?" Larry asked, concern in his voice. "You alright?"

Edgeworth blinked, snapping out of his daze.

"Y-yes, I believe so…"

As he reached forward to retrieve Phoenix's profile, Edgeworth staggered, straightened, then swallowed nervously. Something didn't feel quite right…

"Agh!"

The pain was still with him. It faded for a few moments, then came back even worse. It was like being stabbed in intervals, with the pauses between them drawn out so it hurt the most.

With a sudden jolt, Edgeworth looked at the stain on his sleeve.

It was blood.

"N-no…"

In that moment, Miles Edgeworth understood everything.

The headache could be explained away as just that: a headache. The chest pain could be heartburn, perhaps. The coughed up blood could be attributed to (though it wasn't likely) a sudden, acute attack of bronchitis.

But the unnatural fatigue he felt afterwards, the dulling of certain senses and the sharpening of others, the flickering spasms of pain that wracked him every so often…

There was no question about it now. His mistakes were literally killing him.

Visions of death raced through Edgeworth's mind.

_How would it look to Larry if I die in this manner,_ he wondered.

_Would I keel over like a heart attack victim? Would I become catatonic, and simply die standing still? Would I spasm, flailing until I collapse? It's a truly terrifying thing, to be faced with the prospect of an unknown death…_

_But…why should that trouble me? I'm not—_

Edgeworth's own psyche cut him off.

_No…I've always feared death. If I didn't…I'd have truly killed myself two years ago._

"Edgey," Larry piped up, "Are you giving up? You're awfully quiet…"

_…What should I do?_ Edgeworth screamed to himself. _I feel if I make any more mistakes…I'll die…_

_But…I'm sure I have the right evidence to break the locks! I just need to collect my thoughts, and take it through slowly._

_And I must continue, for Wright's sake. I promised I'd substitute for him, and I must fulfill that promise…_

Any slivers of doubt faded at his next thought.

_Wright wouldn't give up now, not like this. And neither will I._

Edgeworth gathered his nerves and steadied himself. He checked through the Court Records one last time, taking in every piece of evidence, every profile. His eyes lit up in realization.

"No, Larry. I'm not giving up."

Shaking, he returned to the question at hand.

"Larry. I now know without a doubt who you were waiting for last night."

"…Do you," Larry asked nervously.

"Yes. And to be frank, I don't see how I could have missed it before. There's only one person you'd wait for in a horrible place like this, Larry."

Larry's grin vanished from his face.

"The person you were waiting for last night…"

"…Yes?" Larry squeaked.

"Was Sister Iris, of Hazakura Temple!"

Larry flinched.

"Oh…Suddenly I feel cold all over, Edgey."

Despite all he'd been through, Edgeworth managed a smirk.

"No doubt because of my chilly glare."

Larry's terrified grimace was slowly replaced with a smirk; at the same time, Edgeworth's feeling of satisfaction was replaced by one of dread.

"So…you think I have the hots for Sister Iris, huh?"

"…Yes," Edgeworth said carefully.

"Do you have some kind of evidence," Larry cried, lunging forward through the chains.

"You have something that _proves_ I was waiting for her!? Or are you just guessing," he challenged.

_Alright. It's time I draw the line and end this ridiculous game,_ Edgeworth thought.

"Here is proof that you like Iris, Larry..."

He extended a piece of paper to his friend with a trembling hand.

Larry took it; his eyes went wide.

"...Okay, I admit it. She's cute. But her picture is not 'concrete evidence', as you would say."

He lunged forward, as if pounding an imaginary desk. Edgeworth winced.

"I look at lots of girls due to cuteness, but can you prove she's something special to me?"

Larry then pointed straight at Edgeworth, mimicking the prosecutor's own courtroom actions.

"_Can you prove I was waiting for her last night_!?"

Edgeworth flinched; his grey eyes darkened.

"…It…appears…I can't, Larry…"

It was sealed. By his own admittance of failure, he was going to die here.

Edgeworth shivered, suddenly. All sensation was lost.

_K-Keep talking…stave off the inevitable…_

"I-is it just me…Now I'm the one who feels cold…"

Larry smiled sympathetically, ignorant of his plight.

"…Maybe it's because of my cold laugh? Hehehe…"

Edgeworth's eyes closed. A voice resonated in his head.

_Edgeworth…_

The relatively clear voice faded as he slipped in and out of death.

_… your soul… shatter…_

_Calm down …again…_

_That voice…It's familiar…_Edgeworth thought numbly. He strained to hear more, but nothing came. He squinted, but there was no one to see. There were no familiar scents or tastes; no reassuring grasp of the hands. All he could do was whisper.

"…Father…?…Help…me," he breathed.

At these words, Miles Edgeworth collapsed, surrendering himself to the abyss.


	2. The OPTIONAL Ending

_My friend forced me to write a non-ambiguous ending. (Talk about Misery :-p) So here it is. You may ignore it or embrace it if you so choose, or be neutral to it Either way works._

Edgeworth's next sensation was one of pain. He opened his eyes, then immediately shut them.

_W-what happened_, he wondered. Almost immediately he knew the answer.

He'd failed, and for that he was going to die.

Edgeworth felt exhausted…all he wanted to do was rest and let the darkness claim him. Could death really be so bad, after all he'd been through?

A warm voice reached his ears, snapping him awake.

"Miles…"

He blinked once, then twice as his eyes adjusted to his surroundings. Larry was nowhere to be seen. The darkness seemed much the same as before, extending to all reaches of his sight.

No. There was one difference.

It seemed to be encompassing him, pulling him forward and drawing him in. Looking around, Edgeworth found himself surrounded by the same chains that protected Larry.

He tried to run, but immediately stumbled and collapsed. Apparently he was too weak for that sort of effort.

As Edgeworth fell, the chains moved. They swarmed around his arms, chest and legs, binding him where he lay suspended in midair.

"Nnngh," Edgeworth moaned, too disoriented to come up with a proper word. He struggled to free himself, to no avail. The chains held fast, and the darkness closed in.

As he considered his options, the voice came once more.

"Miles…It's been a long time…"

Edgeworth blinked, scanning his surroundings. He'd know this voice anywhere.

"F...father?"

To his surprise, there was no sudden appearance of Gregory Edgeworth's spirit, no light piercing the darkness. Then again, Edgeworth didn't exactly believe in such matters to begin with…

All he could sense of his father was a warm presence that seemed to renew his strength.

"Why are you here," Edgeworth asked.

"Think back. Do you remember what happened right before you collapsed," Gregory Edgeworth asked.

"I…I asked for your help…"

"That's right. And I'm here to help you."

The chains binding him seemed to loosen.

Edgeworth's mouth tightened. "But I've failed. I'm dead. Can something really be done?"

"…I believe so."

Edgeworth laughed bitterly. "Don't play with me. You said yourself that my soul's going to shatter. My spirit's broken… isn't it?"

"…Miles... Listen. Your spirit is _nowhere near being broken._ You just exceeded your soul's natural limits. Even the spirit can be driven to exhaustion."

"…If that's the case, how am I not dead already?"

His father seemed to sigh, as if thinking about how to phrase his next words.

"The Psyche-Lock is like a being in itself, son. It plays upon your fears, and will devour you if you're not careful. But it also solidifies your hopes and needs. And what you needed, more than anything else, was to live and carry out the task assigned you."

"So," Gregory Edgeworth continued, "in your hour of need you called to me. Even in the face of death you still wanted to fight. And the Psyche-Lock saw this…and salvaged a scrap of your soul."

Edgeworth nodded slowly, not quite believing what he was hearing. But he felt if he denied it completely, then he'd truly be lost.

"But the most important thing, Miles," his father stated, "is that it was your own decision to live. If you had accepted your fate, I would have been powerless to aid you. And you would have died a broken man."

"…I see… Thank you, father. I…um…I still need practice at expressing gratitude," Edgeworth said apologetically.

"It's no problem," his father said cheerily. "I suppose the only real problem would be sending you back…"

"What do you mean," Edgeworth asked, a trace of fear in his voice.

"The Psyche-Lock won't let you go so easily. Your soul nearly shattered, after all. It must be your decision to go back…and if you do return, you would still be in danger of death."

"Hmmm…is there a way for my soul to heal? If it's on the verge of breaking to pieces, surely it can be repaired…"

Gregory Edgeworth thought.

"Yes. If you successfully unlock Larry's secret, the parts of your soul that were destroyed will be restored. But even so, it may take time to heal completely."

"… Is there anything else I should know," Edgeworth asked.

"Your body will be in great pain until you complete the Psyche-Lock. A physical healing may need to take place before you try again… and should you fail again, you will die. Nothing more will be done to save you."

"…I understand, father…Thank you…for helping me," Edgeworth said, his eyes watering.

"Well? Will you go?"

"Yes."

At Edgeworth's words, the chains binding him flew away, and he was once again falling. There was a rush of cold air, then silence. Edgeworth found himself lying on something very soft and cold.

_S-snow…? How long have I--_

This silence was abruptly broken by a pair of familiar voices screaming in his ears. He felt a rough hand resting on his chest.

"EDGEY! SPEAK TO US! I didn't MEAN to laugh at your mistakes!"

"Shut up, pal! I-I think I can feel a heartbeat! Mr. Edgeworth! Can you hear us!?"

With a jolt, Edgeworth opened his eyes. Larry Butz and Detective Gumshoe stared down at him.

"…Larry? Gumshoe?"

At this Larry burst into tears.

"Edgey! Don't ever, _ever_ do that to me again!"

Edgeworth blinked.

"…W-what exactly did I do?"

Larry wiped at tears and sweat before answering; it was obvious he was relieved and terrified at once.

"I dunno! You were questioning me and kept screwing up! And then you mumbled something and collapsed! I thought I'd killed you!"

Edgeworth gave him a slight smile.

"For a moment I thought so too."

"It really _was_ scary, sir," Gumshoe interjected. "For a while we couldn't find a heartbeat! I thought I was going to have a heart attack!"

Edgeworth nodded. "I'm…terribly sorry if I worried you both." He took their outstretched hands and lifted himself up. His feet gave way almost instantly, but Gumshoe caught him and stopped him from falling.

"…Do you know of a place where I can recuperate," Edgeworth asked Gumshoe tentatively.

Before the detective could respond, Larry answered for him.

"Oh, you bet, Edgey! Let's go right this way to Heavenly Hall! I'll pour you some hot water if you want!"

"…I would very much enjoy some, Larry. Thank you for the offer."

Larry gave him the thumbs up, followed by a nervous grin.

"…You don't mind if there's no electricity, do you?"

Edgeworth grinned.

"I'll live."

Gumshoe and Larry cheered, and walked with him towards Heavenly Hall. They each had an arm on his shoulder to keep him from falling.

"It's good to have friends,"Edgeworth said truthfully. "Thank you both for being here for me."

Gumshoe gazed at him, tears in his eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Edgeworth. You're always here for me, too!"

Larry grinned, giving him the thumbs up to hide his watering eyes. "Same here, Edgey. We all look out for each other…me, you, that detective, and…Nick…"

Edgeworth snapped to attention. His promise to Wright…to take over for him…to uncover anything important—

_Edgeworth…You've been pushed to the limit. If you have any hope of fulfilling your promise, you must renew your body and soul…_

"…Alright," he whispered.

Edgeworth was ushered into Heavenly Hall and towards a waiting bed. He smiled faintly.

"I'll unlock your secrets later, Larry. Right now… I'm required to rest…"

He dreamt of success.


End file.
